Blog

CHANGED FOR GOOD…The students were asked to reflect on a relationship that has affected their life for the better.

RUTH…pens a tribute to her mother’s story of resilience and love.

Change for Good

        My mother, Carla Lizette Monge Rivas, was born May 20, 1975, in Suchitoto, El Salvador. She was actually born on May 18th, but the doctors had messed up her birth certificate. She’s the middle child of a 4-child household. Both my grandparents were always busy working hard for her and her siblings. So, from a very young age, she learned to be independent and take care of herself. When she was in the middle of college at age 25, she chose to leave school to come work here in the U.S. Like almost every, if not all, immigrants, my mom came here in search of a better life and a way to help my grandparents. 

        She would very soon meet my brother’s dad, get pregnant, and start her business. When Jonathan was only 27 days old, he was sent to El Salvador to my grandparents because my mom couldn’t take care of him due to her business and not being financially stable. She met my dad during that time, but they didn’t actually start dating until 3 years after meeting. She then got pregnant with Karla, and a year later, she got pregnant with me, her favorite child.

        The thing about my mom is that she’s too kind. She goes out of her way to help those around her, whether they’re in need or not, which causes her to be stepped on a lot. Karla and I grew up going to work with my mom. As she drove around, we would be in the back seat, or we would go knocking on doors, asking people if they wanted to buy her delicious and one-of-a-kind tamales or atole. Karla and I would split up: one of us takes the right, and the other takes the left side of the street. Sometimes we would compete on who gets the most people to sell the food. 

        We grew up fairly poor. The only thing you would ever see in the fridge would be the materials my mom used for her food. There would be rice and fruit here and there, but it would never be an actual meal. Obviously, we had condiments like ketchup and mustard. The one condiment that carried our meals was definitely mayo. Guys, this may not sound delicious, but my mom would always make us these mayo sandwiches (two pieces of bread and a whole bunch of mayo). To me, they were one of the best sandwiches. There would be some rare occasions where my mom would buy ham to make ACTUAL sandwiches. In those days, we would really eat well. This isn’t the only thing we would eat. While she was prepping the food, I would always get a little bowl, and she would serve me masa for tamales con pollo. Other meals included refried beans, eggs, and some really salty cheese. 

        A lot of the money that my mom made would go to bills, building up the houses, or paying off loans. This meant that all the cars my mom had weren’t in the best condition. I can give you a whole list of cars that my mom has owned, but there was this one that, even though it was horrible, it’s still in my heart to this day. It was a Hyundai (I don’t know the model). It had no AC, and a window was missing. To get in the back, you’d have to fold and move the front seats, and to roll down the windows, you would have to spin the handle. So summers would be really sweaty and hot, while winters were cold and harsh. This actually helped Karla and me be able to think outside the box. In the winter, we would always figure out ways to put things in the window to keep the cold air out. We would also huddle together in the back to stay warm while my mom worked.

        These may sound like some bad times, but if I’m being honest, these are my childhood treasures. My mom always tried her best to keep us happy and to be able to grow up with normal lives. There are no words to describe her. I can honestly write a whole series of books about my mom, and it still wouldn’t be enough for anyone to understand her. She’s guided me well, and even though she has her ups and downs, she’s still and will always be my mom. The precious woman who fights every day. I really love my mom. Every time I think of her, I always think back to her smile and the way she would hug me when I slept in her bed.

Ruth Rivas

November 7, 2025